Chapter 16: Alone Together (Catching Errors) The Daily Life of a Careless Man Taking Care of a Child…

Lin Guilan turned her head coldly.

“I have never regretted it, and I never will in the future. It’s you two who should reflect.”

Lin Guilan cast them a cold glance, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips.

“Relying on belittling others to feel satisfied—seems like your lives aren’t going so well either.”

After saying this, Lin Guilan urged the ox cart forward and left without another word, paying no further attention to the two stunned individuals left behind. Jiang Zhimiao glared at them resentfully, secretly flipping them the middle finger.

You Zhen wanted to say more, but seeing that Lin Guilan had already left, she felt a stifling anger in her chest that she couldn’t seem to shake. She glared furiously at Butcher Liu: “Why didn’t you say anything just now? Are you really my husband? It seems to me your heart is leaning toward that Lin Guilan!”

Butcher Liu’s face darkened, his rough features looking even more menacing. When he spoke, his voice carried the harshness of someone accustomed to slaughtering pigs, tinged with a bloody aura.

“You’re the one who insisted on making a scene in the street—aren’t you ashamed! Our Liu family is at least a respected household in Xichun Town, and here you are, married for over a year without conceiving, and your mouth is as sharp as ever! Looks to me like you’ve only gained weight this past year!”

“Fine, Liu Quankun, so you look down on me.” You Zhen was not one to back down easily; as she spoke, she started swinging her hands. “Ever since I married into your Liu family, I’ve worked like a slave, and in the end, I get no appreciation at all!”

“Worked like a slave? Ha.” Butcher Liu also sneered. “You act like some revered ancestor every day, lounging around expecting to be waited on. You don’t respect your elders, always arguing with my mother, and you have the nerve to say you’ve worked like a slave?”

“That’s because your mother keeps calling me a barren hen!”

You Zhen, struck where it hurt, shrieked sharply, drawing sidelong glances from passersby.

“Who knows if it’s not you who’s useless? Your mother blames everything on me…”

Butcher Liu hurriedly covered You Zhen’s mouth, urging her to stop talking. But You Zhen was no pushover; she dug in her heels, struggling fiercely under Butcher Liu’s grip. Neither could overpower the other, and in the end, they abandoned all pretense and started brawling right there in the street.

…

Lin Guilan’s tea drink business was going exceptionally well. Almost every day, well before noon, all her tea drinks would be sold out. Moreover, the reputation of “Lin’s Tea Drink” had spread, with many residents from nearby towns making special trips from afar just to taste the tea drinks Lin Guilan made.

However, the ice couldn’t be preserved for more than a few days. Later, Lin Guilan improved her small cellar and went to ask her brother for ice once more. But seeing that her brother also needed ice for his own use, and realizing that storing it in her place was difficult and would only lead to waste… Lin Guilan didn’t ask her brother again after using up that batch of ice.

On this day, Lin Guilan didn’t set up her stall. Instead, she stayed home and prepared a proper meal for Jiang Qingshi and his son.

Jiang Zhimiao was currently in a simple walker, painstakingly learning to walk. There weren’t many advantages to living in such a remote area, but one benefit was the spaciousness—only their family of three lived there, so even if Jiang Zhimiao made a mess in the yard, there was plenty of room for it.

It must be said that Father was truly clever. Though walkers are a modern invention, Jiang Qingshi had suddenly gained inspiration while watching Jiang Zhimiao, drew up blueprints, and commissioned a carpenter to build this walker. Although it wasn’t as wheeled and lightweight as modern versions—making Jiang Zhimiao feel as if he were shackled in heavy chains—he still had to admire his father’s remarkable wisdom.

Sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder: Could his father be a time traveler too?

Yet all his behaviors carried the rigid formality and rule-abiding nature of ancient scholars, making it seem unlikely.

Perhaps his father was simply… exceptionally intelligent?

But Jiang Zhimiao still dared not act recklessly in Jiang Qingshi’s presence, unlike the freedom he enjoyed around Lin Guilan. Once, when Jiang Qingshi saw how exhausting it was for Lin Guilan to take the child along while setting up their stall, he insisted on keeping Jiang Zhimiao at home for care. That day became nothing short of a nightmare for Jiang Zhimiao.

Jiang Qingshi, wholly devoted to his studies to the point of ignoring all external noise, placed Jiang Zhimiao in the newly made walker and said sternly, “Miao Ge’er, a true man must stand firm between heaven and earth and never be pampered. You’re almost two years old now, yet you still can’t walk. How will you achieve great things in the future? It’s all because you’re usually too coddled, taking advantage of Guilan’s affection to avoid the slightest hardship. Now that you’re with me, you must practice walking diligently and never become a slow-flying clumsy bird.”

At that moment, Jiang Zhimiao truly wished he were just an infant who couldn’t understand a word…

But his father had spoken with such solemn authority, yet he didn’t patiently practice walking with Jiang Zhimiao. After delivering his lecture, he simply picked up his book and resumed reading, leaving the young and helpless Jiang Zhimiao utterly neglected.

Jiang Zhimiao, stubbornly refusing to be the useless clumsy bird his father described, persisted in shuffling step by step with the walker. Though after half a day, he hadn’t moved very far…

Gradually, he realized something was wrong.

His father hadn’t given him a single sip of water all morning, leaving Jiang Zhimiao parched and dry-mouthed. But even worse, it was now mealtime, and why hadn’t his father offered him any food?

Through the doorway, he could see half of his father’s face, absorbed in reading—a face as flawless as jade, his posture as elegant as an orchid or a jade tree…

Yet no matter how frantically Jiang Zhimiao waved his arms, trying to get his father’s attention, his father remained immovable, steady as Mount Tai… not even a tremble in his book-holding hands.

So Jiang Zhimiao could only struggle along in the walker, like a little turtle carrying a heavy shell, dragging himself step by heavy step toward his father.

As luck would have it, Lin Guilan had prepared more goods that day, and business was exceptionally good. Thinking that since their son was with his father, she needn’t worry about him constantly, she decided to stay out longer to sell more and earn extra silver for nice things for both of them.

This made Jiang Zhimiao’s ordeal even worse.

When he finally inched his way, snail-like, to his father’s side, his father remained utterly absorbed, his eyes glued to the book without so much as a glance, completely ignoring his very much alive and chubby son.

Jiang Zhimiao watched his father’s demeanor, growing more aggrieved the longer he thought about it. His small frame suddenly exhibited tremendous explosive energy.

“Father!”

Jiang Qingshi finally lifted his eyelids, as if searching for the source of the noise. When he looked up, he saw his dear son had already moved right in front of him. This genuinely startled Jiang Qingshi, considering Jiang Zhimiao couldn’t have covered such distance even with the help of his newly-made wooden cart.

“Just as I predicted,” Jiang Qingshi nodded with satisfaction, “Miao Ge’er, you possess immense potential within you. The more challenging the circumstances, the more one’s latent abilities are awakened. This has held true throughout history. I imagine even you didn’t anticipate being capable of this mere moments ago.”

Father, please stop lecturing! Your son is starving to death!

Even if you don’t cherish your own child and lack paternal affection, you’ve been reading all morning. Even if your stomach isn’t hungry, your bottom must be sore by now.

Jiang Zhimiao gestured back and forth, frustrated by his limited vocabulary. Finally, he huffily pressed his hand against his own stomach.

Surely you’ll understand now!

Jiang Qingshi studied his son for a while, adopting a deeply contemplative expression. After a long pause, he asked uncertainly: “Miao Ge’er, what’s wrong? Have you grown too plump for your clothes?”

Author’s Note:

Jiang Zhimiao (facepalming): Father, could you please mature a little and take responsibility as a parent [splitting headache]